As the modern hypercar industry seems poised to fully overtake the 300 mile-per-hour barrier, supercars have seen a resurgence in popularity, as well. The Petersen Automotive Museum has teased its new supercar exhibit to celebrate all the models that led to the Bugatti Veyron, which arguably inaugurated the hypercar era with its quad-turbocharged W16 engine and all-wheel-drive layout. But as great as watching SSC struggle to prove the Tuatara's worth—or as awesome as a fully carbon-fiber, lightweight Bugatti Bolide might look—there's still something iconic about cars like this ultra-rare Jaguar XJ220 that helps to guarantee them a starring spot whenever they pop up for auction, as this one will cross the block at Mecum's January 2021 Kissimmee event.
So Long And Low
In photos, the XJ220 almost looks photoshopped in such a way that the images were stretched. In reality, the Monza Red exterior, which combines with a left-hand-drive format and Sand interior to make it one of only seven built in this configuration. It perfectly highlights a Jaguar that was a world-beater when it took the 1990s by storm.
Recent Restoration Work
The model here is chassis number 237 out of a total of 281 XJ220 examples ever to leave the factory. It comes equipped with a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine that pumped out 542 horsepower back in the early-90s. That it allowed for a top speed of 212 miles per hour and a 0-60 sprint of only 3.6 seconds didn't phase certain potential original purchasers who were disappointed that the proposed V-12 engine didn't make it to production. One can only imagine how even longer this car would have been when fitted with twice as long an engine.
Ready To Rumble
This example also benefits from a restoration at the hands of Bruce Canepa that cost $40,000 in 2014. That restoration work helps explain the pristine condition, as does the fact that the car has only been driven 2,922 kilometers (or just over 1,800 miles) since new. The interior looks perfectly 1990s, with plenty of cushy leather and plastic trim—this was an era when the world's most powerful cars could still be had with stick shifts, in this case, a five-speed.
Another XJ220 recently popped up on Bring a Trailer and reached $420,000 in bidding action, so all that remains to be seen is how much a potential new owner will be willing to fork over to buy this piece of supercar history, plus whether they'll actually rack up any more miles like the car deserves.
Sources: mecum.com and bringatrailer.com.